Surgeon sentenced to seven years in jail for patient deaths

A former surgeon at a Queensland hospital, Dr Jayant Patel (BMJ 2005;330:985, doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7498.985; BMJ 2008;337:a1065, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1065), has been sentenced to seven years in jail for killing three of his patients and causing grievous bodily harm to another.

Dr Patel, who fled Australia in 2005 after public uproar over his performance while working at the Bundaberg Base Hospital in Queensland, was extradited from the US in July 2008 (BMJ 2008:336:634; doi:10.1136/bmj.39520.479329.DB) to face 16 charges including manslaughter, …